The Handmaid’s Tale has quite a few villainous characters–many women in a world where females are oppressed. Serena Joy so far is the worst of the worst. Like every great villain, she adds spice to the story. Things become more interesting–and frustrating–when she’s around.
Serena is an intelligent woman who used her powers of persuasion to help create a world that is a living hell, not only for women, but for any person of any gender who believes in freedom.
A former author, Serena helped create a world in which women can’t read her work and she can no longer write. In this world of religious fanaticism, Serena, unlike other women, has retained a small measure of power. She uses it to physically and emotionally abuse the women beneath her. She has no sense of loyalty, except regarding her perverted religious beliefs. She turned against her gender, her sex, and even her husband.
Though Commander Waterford is a despicable villain as well, he isn’t quite as bad as Serena. Through flashbacks, it’s clear that even after Gilead came to power, he attempted to allow her a measure of respect and affection. Such displays were met with contempt and even reprimands from Serena Joy. She emotionally manipulated her weaker-minded husband and thought she could get away with anything. In the latest episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, she learned that Fred has truly become the man she wanted him to be. To show his displeasure at her plotting, to prove he is the man of the house and perhaps to unleash his resentment, he gives her a solid beating.
It’s unclear if the beating is meant to provoke sympathy for Serena or satisfaction that justice has been done, considering the physical punishment she has doled out to June and the family’s Martha. This episode tried to show a more human side of Serena. She worked alongside June and she helped make things right for baby Angela, but this transformation felt a little rushed. If these new flashes of decency had built up over more episodes, one might have felt sympathy for her when the Commander hurts and humiliates her, but Serena has been too cold, too self-righteous, and too spiteful for far too long. I felt no sympathy for her, but I didn’t feel any satisfaction either. It’s wrong for spouses to maliciously inflict harm on each other, whether it’s a man hitting a woman or a woman hitting a man.
While I like the idea of Serena revealing a potential “good” side, it will take more than this one episode to make her sympathetic. I’m curious to see how her character unfolds now that she has had a real taste of the world she created.
If you watch The Handmaid’s Tale, what do you think about Serena Joy? Who do you think is the worst villain on the show?